When we think of how to grow a business, everyone imagines moving to or building a bigger building, with more space for customers to fill and employees to work. While this image makes sense for a corner store becoming a supermarket, it is less clear if this model of growth is ideal for collision repair specialists and bodyshops. Growth driven by success is certainly a good thing…
but is a mega-sized repair shop always the right way forward?
Location matters far more for bodyshops than most other stores.
People may happily drive 40 minutes to a new restaurant or mall, but when it comes to repairing their vehicles the easier to reach bodyshop has the advantage. This means that expanding your current location may not be the best way forward unless it is absolutely swamped with customers who show a strong demand for a larger bodyshop right where you are.
With that in mind, if you see strong demand for your bodyshop in your accounting but not your waiting room, an additional location may be the best way to grow. Expanding your shop to a second location, especially in a second city can help to draw in many new customers while also expanding your business’s reach. This method of expansion, however, can cause major headaches for leadership, as all major administrative tasks such as staff scheduling, inventory management, and accounting, are effectively doubled. For this reason, ensuring you have modern, bodyshop-focused tools to empower your shop’s leadership is necessary to running multiple locations at once, without doubling the number of managers or delegating critical tasks.
What method of growth do you feel is right for your bodyshop? How have your experiences with a larger or second location gone? Please share with us in the comments below.
